Unholy Rebirth
by Penguita38
Summary: Kaname and Zero's bond had strengthened over the past year, but they didn't expect a force to hit them so hard it would shake the very core of their souls and test just how deep their Union was. Sequel to Unholy Matrimony. Kaname/Zero.
1. Chapter 1

OH! Hey! How are you all doing? It's been a hot minute, right? Okay, I am not going to sit here for a long, long time blabbering on, but I will kind of say a few words because so much time has passed.

This is the sequel to "Unholy Matrimony", so if you haven't read that, you will want to. There are things within this universe that were created in that story that are important. Also, I am sorry for the delay in this release. I've been working on a few things for a couple of months now in regards to this, but I've held off posting this, as I wasn't sure if I was ready for it all again. But I've had the help from of a couple of great people who sort of pushed me forward.

Vani (Blackened Wing) – as always, you put up with my nonsensical gibberish and text messages and phone calls, and again, nonsense. Thank you. And a recent PM I got from Addy10 and Yukino Mizumi, reminded me that there are people out there still waiting for a sequel and they wanted to know what happens next, and really said some amazing things. Thanks for that!

I am rambling, yes, sorry. I am just a tad nervous. Sequels are scary, because you have to try and make sure they live up to the success of the first one. Here is hoping! :D I'll shut up now. Enjoy the story.

**Disclaimer** – same as all of my other ones. Don't own the characters, but I am borrowing them for a bit of fun and will return them in one piece (maybe).

**Prologue: **Behind Door Number One

A man watched the bustle of the human traffic below from where he sat, perched high up on a building several stories high. His hair curled at his ears, but the wind blew it out over his face in messy brown waves. Those people—those _humans_—were under him, as they should be, as everyone who was beneath him should be. Their behavior was sordid yet predictable. A man, as he witnessed, shoved a woman with a stroller of his way so he could catch the taxi before her. A child wandered alone, several feet behind his mother, who walked ahead, her cell phone attached to her ear and the only worry to her. Someone could snatch up that child—_he_ could—and she wouldn't notice until minutes later. Easily manipulated, those humans—easy to control.

"Aoi," he whispered to the approaching figure, his continued gaze transfixed on the small figurine-like people walking below. "I hope you have good news."

The voice, quite and monotone, deadpanned the news without hesitation. "No, all the subjects are deceased except for the half-American noble, but we've yet to start trials on him."

"Hmm…" he hummed and tapped his chin with his forefinger in a thoughtful manner. "They weren't adequate then." He turned to Aoi. He smirked and tilted his head in invitation. "Any other candidates scouted?"

Aoi used the back of his hand to push his bangs from his eyes. "Yes," he replied, very formal and to the point – as was everything the younger vampire did. The black-haired vampire presented a manila folder and opened it, wetting his thumb and pointer finger before flipping through the papers inside. "There are a few we've found who would be suiting to your trials. Through the data we've gathered, we selected a young hunter. We've never tried the trials on someone whose hunting powers are just coming into fruition. Nakata Takeshi, age 12, and he just started to train in the Association's field training. He's been assigned to an experienced hunter, Ryu Endo."

He looked to the stars, as if they would give him the answer. He inhaled a deep breath and pursed his lips. "Okay, obtain him. I think the age is a great recommendation, Aoi. Let's try it on someone that young and just growing into power. It'll be interesting to see if his cells react differently." He looked to the young noble, urging him silently to carry on.

"There is another hunter of African Am—."

"No, we've tried that before and it didn't work, Aoi."

"You're right." Aoi flipped through a couple more sheets of paper. "There is a rare, stabilized ex-human in Kyoto."

He shook his head. "No, we've tried that already. Remember the outcome?"

"Right, I nearly forgot. That subject did perish in the end."

"Exactly," he agreed. He waved his hand to encourage Aoi to continue. "Anyone else?"

Aoi seemed to hesitate on the last sheet of paper, before ultimately deciding to carry forward. "The last one is an oddity, and could carry serious repercussions if we acquire this subject."

A challenging smile tugged at the sides of his lips and he lifted an interested brow. "_Now _you have my attention. I do love a challenge. Who is it?"

"Kuran-sama's newly married spouse."

The lines on his forehead drew together as he contemplated the name. He nodded a small nod in agreement. "Yes…Kiryu Zero, right? He is an ex-human, hunter who's probably thrived on pure blood for…" He paused. "How long have they been together now?"

"A year," Aoi answered.

Fascination lit up in his eyes. "An entire year of this hunter, who is turned vampire, sustaining himself on probably nothing but pure blood. He's an interesting specimen indeed, Aoi." His smile grew wider as he weighed the consequences of his next statements. "The pureblood would be furious. They are often protective of their belongings, especially their mates. I know what you mean about serious repercussions."

He waved a hand at the noble to draw him closer. Aoi, with grace, jumped onto the ledge of the building and sat down next to his leader. The small vampire's arm brushed up against his leather jacket as he reached over and took the manila folder from Aoi's grip.

"Let me see the details on him before I make the call. You can't crack open a bee's nest without knowing whether or not taking on the hive is worth the reward." He scanned the paper with Kiryu's name, picture and details on it, making a low humming noise as he considered his next prize. "We've been targeting Kuran-sama since their marriage, ironically, due to _what _he married—when in fact, perhaps, he has had the key to my research all along."

Aoi understood the silent want in his leader's expression and started to calculate the next moves. "Do you want me to gather Satoshi and the twins?" he asked his boss.

A light, cold breeze dusted his face and hair. "Yes, the twins, and Ko, too."

"Five of us? You think Kiryu is that big of a threat? I've read the files and—."

"And nothing, Aoi. He's a vampire who's been fed pure blood on a consistent basis, who also happens to be of hunter blood, and he trained under the current head of the Hunter's Association. I would say he is a formidable opponent and we can't take chances, not with this one. If he got away, seeing your face, you can guarantee his spouse would obliterate you. Take precautions and be safe. You cannot fail, Aoi."

Aoi got up from the buildings ledge and hopped back onto the rooftop. "You're right."

"Good," he said. "Oh, and Aoi, please tell your brother, Aki, to get something together to keep Kiryu tamed. I am not sure how far the connection of the Union goes between spouses." He listened to the noble's footfalls fade before he yelled out one last thing. "Aoi, please don't get overzealous. Kiryu is to remain unharmed. And don't frighten the hunter child."

"Katz," he said, speaking his leader's name in annoyance. "Perhaps you would like to take on Kiryu instead?"

"I trust you," he said, as he slipped off the ledge into the empty space below. He landed on the concrete with ease. His leather jacket welcomed his hands as he slipped them in his pockets and carried on a casual stroll down the sidewalk. He smiled politely at the humans who walked past him, even bowing to a few women who stared at him a few moments longer than the average gaze.

But they were all worthless beings—_tainted_ creatures. Their blood ran inside his veins, as his pure blood ancestors had mated with mortals to create nobles and the vampire chain. He was sullied by their kind. And he hated them for it.

The pitiful world he resided in didn't understand the unstable ripple he was creating. These humans couldn't sense the pending shift in power, or the small tremor that tilted the frail, balanced scale in his favor—a favor that would destroy the very foundation of their existence.

They didn't know of the change he intended to bring upon the entire world. They didn't know of the purification on the horizon.

And he couldn't wait to share it with the world.

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Hey! Long time no see, right? Okay, okay, so this was short, I know. But it's a prolgue and I wanted you to meet the antagonist right away. It's like wanting to warn the boys' but you're not able to scream at them that something terrible is coming.

Anyway, please review if you would like to. And I have a good portion of chapter one done (actually, I have it all done) but I just need to go over it and edit it. I'll post it in two weeks. J

I've missed you all. Hopefully you're all ready for this ride, as it's going to be one hell of a ride for both Kaname and Zero.

Again, thank you all for your continued support. This wouldn't have been possible without your faith in me. 3

Here is a little preview of the next chapter (which is crazy long already, but you guys know me enough by now to know I can't keep the short), and it shows we'll get right into Kaname and Zero and their relationship over the past year. I just wanted to give you something to look forward to with the next chapter. :D

A half circle booth and a round table were the only things in the little room, besides the smiling ornament seated at the leather seat.

"You're late," Kaname said. The bemused grin that graced his lover hinted at more than a normal welcome. There was something sinister in that gaze. "Again."

"If you expect me to be late all the time, shouldn't you just set everything a half hour earlier than normal, so you can be sure that I'll show up on time?" he responded sheepishly. "And I'm not _always_ late." A weak counter, because he knew he wasn't the most punctual lover in the world.

The pureblood got up from the booth and closed the small space between them. The warm arms that circled his waist relaxed his tense muscles. Kaname pulled him close, leaning to the point his breath was felt across his neck. Those movements made his skin crawl in a good way, like little gooseflesh bubbling to life and tingling his skin.

"You _are_ always late. And I did set it a half hour later," the pureblood whispered into his hair, kissing a small line down his exposed neck. "I set the dinner staff to service us at seven, which means we have ten minutes before anyone comes in." The kisses grew heavier and were filled with more need—a desperate want from their days of separation.


	2. (Un)Happy Anniversary

Evening! First, I would like to thank each and everyone one of you who reviewed and favorite the last chapter. Thanks. :D I do read each an every single review. You guys are truly amazing.

Not much to say, really. I'll answer questions people asked me in their reviews down at the bottom, after the chapter is over. This chapter was done but I needed to go over and edit some things. I have done that and it's completed, but any errors are my own, as I didn't have anyone proofread it.

Same disclosures and whatnot.

Enjoy.

Chapter One: (Un)Happy Anniversary

A full year had passed. And not some skimpy, shortened year, either. 365 days had passed. The real deal. They had been married for an entire year.

So much had happened. Kaname stepped up to his vampire-king like duties and had smeared his name over every single vampire issue known to their species. It was hard to find something the pureblood wasn't involved in. Moreover, the coexistence treaty he had slaved over was taking up the majority of his time. It gave him more time to settle back into the hunting ground. The gun felt heavy in his hand the last few hunts he completed, but it was like dusting off an old bike and hopping on. He needed the raw carnage of destroying fallen vampires—like homage to his heritage to make sure he remembered it was imbedded deep in his blood. He was a hunter first, then a vampire—even if he accepted there wasn't undoing his vampire nature.

Yagari took the fictional throne of the Association, and if such an object were real, he would have painted it a proverbial rustic bronze to match his "just deal with it" persona. It was good to have a person in charge that didn't care if you were short, heavy or missing three teeth. As long as you could kill, and kill well, then you were assigned or trained to hunt. To keep Zero in touch, his old master threw the odd mission here and there to him. Like today, he set him on a chase after the infamous new vampire fascists that rose from their marriage. Who knew, maybe the regime was around before they got hitched but were too small to take notice. But whatever their motive, they sure used his lower level status to paint a lovely _Oh. My. God. An ex-human tainted a pureblood _picture all over Japan. He was over the entire thing and wished to whatever God existed that his name would be removed every headline in the Vampire Underground.

The faction of vampires only created tabloid-like rumors to his name, and the group was relatively small. They called themselves The Elite. They were petty criminals, hitting up small medical supply stores and home furnishing warehouses from time to time. More often than not, they created small havoc and set small fires outside some of Kaname's businesses, or they painted graffiti on alleyways or fences along busy streets. Freakin' hippies probably, getting high and then setting fires to "fight the man" or in this case, his husband—the pureblood prince.

Cross remained the Headmaster of Cross Academy, along with little Yuuki by his side to help him keep the vampires in line. He still attended classes, performed Prefect duties when he was available and even slept there from time to time, but his true home was with Kaname off campus. The pureblood wasn't there as often. He had a lot of thing planned for him and classes weren't on his agenda, plus, he technically graduated the year prior. Yori stepped up to the plate as the Prefect when he wasn't there. She was filled in on the vampire race and oddly wasn't surprised to find out he was a vampire. He remember her muttering something about how his behavior only made sense now that she knew he was a vampire, because his hunger for the blood probably made him insane. He chuckled a bit, because she was partially right.

He glanced at this watch for the fifth time that evening. He had just gotten off an assignment that yielded nothing but a barren medical supply store and some broken windows and missing equipment. The place had reeked of vampire and their stench was all around the place, but they weren't there anymore.

6:30 on the dot. He pulled into an empty parking spot in the garage. The eerie fluorescent lamps flickered above him as the car came to a stop. He turned off the ignition and listened to the hum of the engine cooling down for a moment before he released a deep, weary sigh.

A whole year. An entire year he fed from Kaname and Kaname fed from him. He could feel the pureblood's blood pulse beneath his veins the closer he was to the vampire prince. Myth always stated that you only desired the blood of the one you loved the more you drank from them. He found it to be true. After a year, no one appealed to him. Not that everyone looked like freakin' walking steaks with mouths—well, not all the time. But he didn't get the "itch" anymore. The ache to sink his teeth into anything with two legs had quieted to a small whisper in the back of his mind, barely noticeable. The fierce thirst clawed at this psyche whenever he was near Kaname. It was the only blood that seemed to quench the monster inside him.

He rubbed his inner left wrist absentmindedly. The smooth skin was painted black with a rose insignia designed specifically to match Kaname's family crest. He let his head hit the headrest, a quiet laugh escaping his lips. He had been mad at pureblood (over what, he couldn't tell a soul now it was so trivial) but they fought often. He was too stubborn to give in and Kaname had too much pride to succeed. It was a stupid thing he did on a whim to prove to the pureblood he was very much his. His impulsivity was often out of control. He needed to look over that fucking cliff before he jumped. This time he landed with a permanent reminder of the man he married. Not that it mattered, as his left hand already had an eternal companion that adored his ring finger.

The metal ring glinted under the blue glow from the car stereo.

One whole year today, he mused.

They survived one, what was two hundred more? I guess that depended on his life span. He was still unsure what Kaname's blood bought him. Fifty? Three hundred? He didn't know, as he was a "special" case the pureblood often reminded him. No one of his rank fed from a vampire of his status for this amount of time.

The leather creaked as he leaned over and popped open the glove compartment. The engine had stilled and he was left with nothing but his nervous breaths. A small wooden box lay inside the compartment. He handled it delicately and cradled the object in his hand. The damned tremors in his fingers strengthened when he opened the top and he nearly dropped the treasure inside. He looped the leather cord around his pointer finger and lifted the necklace to his eye line to get a better view of the metal pendant hanging in the center.

It was a Celtic symbol, made from three interweaving triangles that formed one larger triangle. The blue light bounced off the silver and shone a light briefly on the etched carvings on the right side of the pendant.

_Z&K_

God, it was cheesy as hell but he felt it suited the metal, considering his parents' initials were a matching set on the other side of the metal. He had a local jeweler match the font to every curve and line of the lettering.

The piece caused a hidden smile to form, filled with bright memories of a family he once had. He could hear Ichiru's voice in his head, like a mirror to his own just slightly higher in tenor.

_"Ne, Zero, do you think it's safe to go out there yet?" Ichiru asked as he nudged the side of his Zero's ribs with his elbow. "Mom still hasn't calmed down and it's been a week."_

_ He smiled at his younger brother and nodded. "She just misses dad. She'll be less…grumpy once he's back."_

_They both heard the front door shut and the stomp of heavy boots as snow was shaken from them. The patter of their feet running down the stairs came next. _

_"Oh, gross!" Ichiru called out. "Smootchies are for bedrooms, not living rooms." _

_ He chuckled at his brother. He was just happy to have his dad back. His mom smiled at them both and extended her arms out, which they both ran into without a second thought. The embrace was cold as their dad wrapped his arms around them from behind, his jacket still littered with sprinkles of melting snow. _

_ "Your necklace is pretty, mom," he said, reaching out to touch the silver pendant hanging from her neck. "Did dad get it in Ireland?"_

_ Her eyes beamed with a satisfied twinkle. Whatever anger she held this week had been extinguished by the meaning behind the necklace. "He did. It represents the Holy trinity, but your father spun a much fancier, love stricken tale of eternal love looped in each triangle."_

_ The light caught the silver, the necklace swaying from his mom's crouched position. It was a triangle, but more complex than just a simple shape. There were three rounded loops that circled around at three points, making the larger triangular shape. _

_ "I think that tale suits us better," his dad said. "Eternal love isn't just for vampires."_

_ His mom grinned in response, her thin fingers resting on the silver pendant. "I suppose not."_

"How would you feel that my love is a vampire love, mom?" he said in a quiet tone, his eyes focused on the twirling piece of jewelry dangling in front of him.

His head flopped back against the headrest once more, this time he groaned loudly. The "L" word would a subject he'd have to face again. He said it about as often as Hailey's comet graced the sky. He knew he felt it, but he had a hard time expressing it verbally.

His watched beeped at him and he cursed under his breath. He was late now. He knew the noise meant it was a quarter till seven. He was already fifteen minutes late, and he had no doubt Kaname was seated patiently in the restaurant, sipping a glass of red wine, grumbling words of endearment toward his never-punctual spouse.

He wasn't good at dressing up for fancy dinners, but the pureblood insisted that they have a _real_ date. A real date to him was a movie and a couch, and then a bed and sex. But he wasn't the leader of the events tonight. And he knew it meant a lot to his overworking vampire mate. They didn't see each other as much as they wanted, so it was good to get some alone time. Even if he had to dress up.

He placed his phone on vibrate and stepped out of the car. He slid the keys back in his pocket after locking the vehicle. He wasn't even sure what type of car it was; just that it had all the bells and whistles of something expensive. Another thing the pureblood overachieved on and got him for his birthday last year.

He took one last look at his reflection in the black door of the shiny car. He kept it simple: a pair of black slacks that hugged his legs, a white button up shirt, thin black tie and a black jacket that matched the snugness finesse of his pants. He swayed his hair a little to loosen the silver strands that hung over his eyes. Licking his fingers, he wet a few clumps of hair and moved them to the left.

_Am I really sitting here fixing my hair like some pansy?_ he thought. Yep, he was. God, the pureblood drove him to insane lengths.

He glanced at this watch. He was now officially late, late. He hurried to the steps of the parking garage, making a swift exit to the street level. The air outside was cold—colder than it normally was for this time of year. He tucked his hands in his pockets and turned the street corner. The building barely had anything on the outside to indicate that there was a restaurant there. He noticed the fancier things were, the simpler they appeared. Must have been a rich thing.

A man with curled gray hair opened the door for him with a smile and he bowed a quick thank you in response. The man at the podium was older yet but his hair was peppered with streaks of black that still clung to their youth. The man said something about his name, and he muttered Kaname's name, to which the host beamed a huge smile and said, "Right this way, Zero-sama."

He would never get used to the honorific additive to his name. But being married to a pureblood by class made him higher in rank. He preferred to remain hidden in the shadows of things, but his marriage threw him directly into the brightest LED spotlights created by man and tabloid photographers.

You'd have to be a vampire to see in this cave of a restaurant. Several candles, which were placed on each of the intimate tables, provided the only illumination in the joint. The drummed pulses of very heated gawkers slammed into his chest. The thirst was there, but it wasn't their blood he craved. He could smell the pureblood amongst all the cheap perfume and cologne. There were a few private tables in the corners of the restaurant. The red velvet curtains that covered the secluded tables screamed _fondle me in secret_. The gray walls of the place were equally as dark as burgundy carpet and red doors.

A woman, maybe mid-thirties, dropped her fork by accident. He used the term "accident" loosely in this scenario. Her skin was wrinkled dry from sun exposure. He had a morbid thought that perhaps she would taste like a raisin, or maybe there wasn't any blood in her left under the leather skin. She thought she was pretty, and she flashed her best "sex me" smile she could.

Humans often didn't understand how dangerous their actions where. Not only did she suck at being anything sexy, she was practically offering herself up to a person who used to have issues controlling his thirst.

He slapped on the best polite smile he could and picked up her fork, not looking her directly in the eye as he passed her table without so much a glance back. He knew she was watching him. He could hear her pulse quicken and then thump to a slow, depressed heartache at his rejection.

It chilled him a little that analyzing how someone would taste seemed so normal to him now. The vampire side he accepted into his mind often liked to taunt its existence with random images and nudges to break him down.

But his anchor was seated behind the curtain he now stood in front of. The host bowed and parted the fabric for him.

A half circle booth and a round table were the only things in the little room, besides the smiling ornament seated at the leather booth.

"You're late," Kaname said. The bemused grin that graced his lover hinted at more than a normal welcome. There was something sinister in that gaze. "Again."

"If you expect me to be late all the time, shouldn't you just set everything a half hour earlier than normal, so you can be sure that I'll show up on time?" he responded sheepishly. "And I'm not _always_ late." A weak counter, because he knew he wasn't the most punctual lover in the world.

The pureblood got up from the booth and closed the small space between them. The warm arms that circled his waist relaxed his tense muscles. Kaname pulled him close, leaning to the point his breath was felt across his neck. Those movements made his skin crawl in a good way, like little gooseflesh bubbling to life and tingling his skin.

"You _are_ always late. And I did set it a half hour later," the pureblood whispered into his hair, kissing a small line down his exposed neck. "I set the dinner staff to serve us at seven, which means we have ten minutes before anyone comes in." The kisses grew heavier and were filled with more need—a desperate want from their days of separation. "And here I thought you were late because you were chatting up that brittle-haired blond out there."

Ah, there was the mischievous look unveiled. He had seen that.

"Mhmm… Yes, she was just my type. Her skin looked amazing under the low light. The shadows in the dips of her skin really added to her youthful beauty. You know my type too well, Kaname," he teased in return.

The pureblood reached up and moved his jacket collar from the curve of his neck, leaning in to nip at the now exposed skin. His knees buckled as flutters danced down his spine and curled the muscles in his stomach. The pureblood guided him back to the booth and he fell non-too gently onto the leather seat. Kaname straddled his hips with one leg, the other free to kick the table to the side to give them more room. He heard one of his buttons hit the hard surface of the table.

"I still need clothes, idiot," he said with an irritated growl.

"I'll have new one delivered before the dinner's over," Kaname responded, as another button popped free and hit the wall. The pureblood's hot tongue snaked its way around his ear and he shivered as the cold air tingled his wet his. Kaname's lips moved down his jaw, to the side of his mouth and lightly traced the skin next to his mouth before claiming his lips. He muffled a pleased moan into the open kiss. His body arched in response and he felt himself hitting the pinnacle of no return. They needed to stop or dinner would have to be postponed another hour.

Their tongues tangled together in a fever of heated movements. He felt Kaname grin into the kiss as the pureblood slid his hand up the inside of his thigh. The thin fingers danced around the top of his belt loops, to the hem of his pants and then scraped a loud trail down his zipper.

Whatever reserve he was holding onto quickly dissipated under the lust. Their kiss melded into a deeper, more passionate dance. His fingers were tangled in Kaname's hair, tugging the pureblood closer until their chests were pressed firmly against one another.

Kaname was the first to break their kiss, moving his lips down the hunter's jaw, the curve of his neck, to his collarbone. Kaname sucked lightly at first, drawing the blood to the surface and reddening the hunter's skin. He didn't mean to let out a groan, but it was his sensitive spot and the pureblood was using it to tease him.

"I suppose she didn't get the memo that this body belongs to me," Kaname said, bringing the underside of his left wrist to his mouth. "I am pretty sure this mark on your skin proves it."

"I knew the tattoo was a shitty ide—_ah_." He didn't have time to finish before the pureblood sank his fangs into the tight skin below his palm.

The thought of shared blood, blood giving, whatever it was called, used to gross the ever-loving hell out of him. But it seemed as natural to him as breathing. Something in his body wanted the pureblood to take from him, just as much as he wanted to take from Kaname. He knew part of it was the siren's call from the Union they were bound to, but he also knew deeper than that he had finally admitted he wanted it just as much as his soul ached for their connection.

He could feel his fangs now, poking the bottom lip firmly as he struggled to gain control over his thirst for Kaname. He hadn't tasted the pureblood in days and his body seemed to enjoy reminding him of their time away.

"Your eyes are red, Zero." He looked up to a matching set of scarlet bearing down at him. The blood that coated the pureblood's lips caused his body to shiver. Brown strands of curled locks descended down like a cloak over his face as Kaname leaned in and stole another kiss. This time he tasted himself on the pureblood's lips. The taste was bitter to him, but not unpleasant. He could feel the vibrancy in his DNA that was his own but also the electric shock of something more powerful melded in his new vampire, chemical makeup. The elixir was what he yearned for and it was right beneath the thin layer of flesh not but inches from his mouth.

He captured the junction of Kaname's neck with his teeth in a fierce bite, snapping the skin easily as blood poured down his throat. The pureblood moaned at the pain he caused because shortly after he slowed down to a more deliberate draw, his tongue coming out to taste the salt of his skin with soft, long licks before sinking his canines deep in within the giving neck. He gave himself into the vampire urges that plagued him. It was something he learned through his bond with Kaname wouldn't go away. The more they shared blood, the deeper their Union grew, the further their souls twined into one. What was the point of fighting when he would face whatever time he had left on this planet with the man he was currently tangled up with? There was no escaping it, and the darker beast within him caressed those thoughts into acceptance. It was what he was now. A vampire.

And a hunter, he reminded himself. There was always that side of him that wanted to consume him completely. He was terrified that one day it would take away whatever heritage his blood laid claim on that was hunter. But he would fight and hold onto it.

It was a part of him as well.

He licked the twin marks with a sensual stroke of his tongue, curling his fingers in the pureblood's jacket to bring him closer to his mouth. He drew on the skin with a tight suction, pulling the remnants of whatever blood was on the skin to him. Too bad the hickey he gave the pureblood wouldn't last more than a few minutes.

"You know how to undo me, Zero," Kaname said. The shaken undertone beneath the normally steady voice hinted at just how much damage he was doing to the vampire prince. "Dinner isn't a necessity, right? We don't _have_ to eat."

"You're getting your damn anniversary dinner," he replied back, his breath equally quaked by their blood exchange. He licked the side of the pureblood's mouth with a slow, deliberate tease. "One year has passed, what's one dinner?"

A forced cough from the curtain snapped both of their heads to entrance. "The staff humbly awaits your orders, Kuran-sama."

Kaname stood up and smoothed out his dress clothes. It was the first time he had a moment to really take in how deliciously tempting his lover looked. The pureblood wore a gray suit tailored to fit his body snuggly, but the black button up shirt beneath the gray suit jacket, was popped open at the top, revealing the smooth plane of skin above his chest and to his neck. Everything was calculated to match, even the dark, woodsy cologne that matched the sleek apparel.

He pushed the need that rose within back down to bearable levels.

"Yes, if everything is ready then please start."

"Dinner, yes," he agreed. He reached over and straightened the table out and slid over to make room for Kaname next to him on the booth.

The candle that was in the center had been moved over to the edge, so he put one of the only lights in the room back in the middle of the table. Light was a precious commodity in the restaurant.

The appetizers came out soon after, and then the wine, and then before he knew it they were served another small sample of something, and then finally the main course. It was lobster something, something fancy and he couldn't pronounce. He just ate it and it tasted fucking delicious.

"What did you do today?" Kaname started off with the small talk.

"A small mission. Nothing serious. More of those annoying Elite rebels terrorizing small businesses. They are a pain in my ass." He shoved another bite of whatever the hell it was, but he was sure a piece of heaven as hidden in there somewhere, into his mouth. "I have no idea what this is, but you have to figure out how to make it."

"We do have a cook at our home if you'd just call him, Zero," Kaname responded with a wry grin.

"No, no, I'll figure it out. Having a cook is a little too fancy for me. That's your thing. I love to cook."

He was silent once more as he phone buzzed in his pocket. That was the fourth time it went off. But it was his anniversary dinner; he wasn't going to answer it even if God was calling. He had fucked up so many things in his life, this was one thing he was going to do right.

"Going to answer that? Must be important to call you back to back like that," Kaname said. Damn vampire hearing.

"No," he said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

But the pureblood loved to argue. Naturally. "What if it's the Association? Could be serious?"

"Doesn't matter. I'm here now and they knew I was out of commission tonight."

"Which is why it probably is urgent to have to disturb you on a night they knew you were off."

"Fine, I'll check. I am sure it's just Cross or Yuuki fumbling in the kitchen as always." He pulled out his phone and slid the lock button to open on the touch screen. Sure enough, the pureblood was right. Yagari had called him four times, all within five minutes of each other.

"Call him back," Kaname pushed. The pureblood looped his fingers together and rested his head on his hands, urging the hunter to call with an accepting look.

"Do you have some secret date with blondie out there I don't know about? You're pushing me hard to call him back."

"We are not going to argue over something like this. So to put it in simple terms, hunting means a lot to you. I just want you to realize that I may not necessarily agree with your reckless missions, but I understand what it means to you so I'm just trying to show you I support you."

He nodded, a tad embarrassed that he had nearly bit back with a touch of bitterness. "Thanks," he said. It was a simple word but the pureblood knew he didn't say it often, but he definitely meant it. Probably more than the vampire beside him knew.

He dialed the number back and Yagari picked up on the second ring. "Master, I told you—."

"_Cut the crap, kid. If it weren't important I wouldn't have bothered you on your pansy princess and the pauper modern day reenactment. It's Takeshi and Ryu. They vanished at the site you were at today_."

"Takeshi? But he's just a kid. Why was he out in the field?" He tried hard to keep his voice from rising.

"_Training. It was a site you already cleared so Ryu took him out to look at the post-destruction of this gang_," Yagari snapped in return.

"Sorry, I wasn't questioning your judgment. I—he's just so young."

"_And you were a helluva lot younger than him when you went out with me, so zip your lips, kid. The big issue is that he is missing, but Ryu…"_

His stomach flipped and he lurched forward. He knew that tone. That was a "he didn't make it, kid" tone. He heard it before plenty, but it never made it easy. Being a hunter was an occupational hazard. The life expectancy of a hunter wasn't much, and they all knew that when they signed up for the job.

"How?" he whispered. He hoped his Master heard him.

"_Fangs. Lots of them. Seems that gang is trying to make a name for them all of a sudden. This is the fourth hunter to go missing in four months. We never put credit to the Scooby Fang Bangers, but perhaps it's time we give them a bit of attention._"

"The Elite isn't anything but petty criminals pissed off that a pureblood married a hunter – or so their detailed graffiti suggests," he responded. His particular favorite was a red painted message that read, "Absolute ZERO chance of succeeding. Marry pure." It was a lovely pun to carry him through the day.

"And what do you need me to do?" He knew there was a reason his Master was calling him, and it was just to relay the grim news of a fallen hunter.

"_I went back over the past year and their break-ins are the same all around so far. They are stealing medical supplies, glass, concrete… Then randomly a few hunters have vanished, and then a few nobles, but even more ex-humans and humans the deeper I dove._"

"You think they are doing something more than just petty theft and vandalism?" He already knew the answer. "And you want me to check out the site I cleared today, to see if I missed something now that there is a death and disappearance tied to the case. Got it." He didn't need the orders to know.

"_Is your Vampire Princess okay with you breaking curfew?_" Oh, that struck a nerve.

"Shut it, Master. It's none of your business. And for that, I'll _try_ and get the job done."

_"Fine, tell his highness I'm sorry, because I know he heard me through the speaker."_

Kaname waved a non-caring hand forward and nodded, more of a shrug that stated whatever, but it was more of a response he got when it came to these two.

"I'll report what I find." And he locked the screen to black before his master had a chance to respond. He looked up at the pureblood with a sincere apologetic expression. "I'm sorry."

"Zero, you don't have to apologize. It's honestly fine. I have a few things I have to get done before the night is over anyway. I left early to make sure I was on _time_." The pureblood grinned and lifted a knowing brow before continuing. "I have to fax off a few documents before ten, so I would have been lying if I didn't have to interrupt our date briefly either. But we had a moment to spend dinner with one another, and then after I finish my job and you finish yours, we will enjoy the evening alone. Just us."

"Thanks, for understanding. I just…" He didn't know what he wanted to say.

"It's important to you to stay connected to that world, so it's important to me as well." Kaname reached over and cupped Zero's hand in his. "I am trying my hand at this supportive husband thing. I am pretty sure I'll get better at it over time."

He pulled their hands to his mouth and placed a light kiss on Kaname's fingers. "You're doing a helluva lot better than me, so don't worry. I'll be no more than an hour. I know I scoured that place for any clues, but I have to make sure now that…"

"I get it. You just want to make sure you didn't miss anything now that a hunter's blood has been spilled there. Like I said, I support you."

He stood up and nodded back to his lover. "Thanks again, for you know…"

He felt the artificial wind at his neck and spun around, into the arms of his husband. Kaname's lips were at his ear, slowly pulling the skin into his mouth and making his way down his jawline. It took all he had in him not to fall, but thankfully the pair of arms around his waist held him tight. The pureblood's lips felt like silk against his skin—soft and warm and _so_ tempting.

He cut off Kaname's next move, pushing forward as he caught the pureblood's mouth with this own. He felt his husband smile against his lips. A breathy laugh followed.

He kissed Kaname with a want that poured from him eagerly. The taste of their meal was on his breath but the dinner mint in Kaname's mouth overpowered the zesty tang of marina sauce. He felt the white peppermint brush against his tongue as he deepened their kiss.

Kaname's hands slid down Zero's white cotton shirt, his fingers outlining all the buttons before reaching the button that held the hunter's tight black pants together.

_Snap! _His pants popped open. The next sound was the metal clink of his belt buckle sliding free.

"Kaname," Zero warned.

Their lips moved against one another in the faintest touches. Their foreheads met and they locked eyes through fallen tresses, perspiration rising and beading as their panting grew to levels that caused the heat to rise in the small dining space.

He grinned against Zero's cheek, his mouth barely pressed to the hunter's flushed skin. "_Zero,_" he returned playfully.

"I have to go." He struggled to find to find the words, the passion overwhelming most of his cohernency and pushing him into a contsant state of _need. _

The smile still present, Kaname teased, "I _know_."

Warm hands were on his aching flesh and his body lurched forward. He'd gotten off a hundred times now under Kaname's hand, but everytime spiraled him into a near insant state of euphoria. The pureblood had skill and he knew just where and how to touch to unwind him.

Kaname's long fingers felt like velvet against this heated skin. His grip moved to the pureblood's chest, and as the pace quicked, he found his right hand wrapped in his lover's tie, involantarily pulling the pureblood closer until they both backed up against the red-curtained wall.

Lips, warm and gentle, moved against his neck and his other hand instincively tangled in the brown locks and drew his lover closer.

His stomach knotted the faster the pureblood worked him. His length was wet, pulsating and fevered—his compeletion moments away. He hoped no one in the restaurant heard the groan that slipped free, but he couldn't contain himself anymore. It felt _so_ good.

His body spasmed a little and his grip around the pureblood's tie tightened as he came.

"Shit, _shit_, Kaname. Why'd you do that?" His chest heaved as he tried to regain his breathing.

The pureblood, adorning his ever typical egotisical triumphant expression, reached over and swiped a napkin from the table. He wiped off his fingers and pocketed the napkin.

"You didn't like it?"

"Shut up. You know that's not the point." Heat rose to his cheeks in an instant.

"I just wanted you to have a clear head on your mission." There was a not-so innocent gleam hidden in the prueblood's eyes. Kaname waved him goodbye. "I'll see you in an hour. Go."

OOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooO OOOOOOOOO

He knew the medical supply shop that had been hit was only about fifteen minutes from the restaurant, so the drive there was quick and simple. He parked and slid off his dress jacket. He rolled up his sleeves to his elbows and removed his black tie, his shirt hanging open slightly from the two upper buttons missing. Lovely gift from his lover, he supposed.

The glass windows and door stretched from the floor to the ceiling, and all five panels had been shattered. There was yellow tape blocking the entrance. There was a hunter mark to the far right, one that let fellow hunters know that it was being handled properly by hunters within the police units. They needed to make sure the supernatural findings, if any, stayed clear from the mortal world. He lifted the plastic tape and crouched beneath it.

The glass crunched beneath his feet as he made his way to the light switch. He flicked on the overhead lamps but it just gave the store an eerie, green glow, when the florescent bulbs were burned dim and barely gave off any light. They flickered from time to time, which added to the lovely ghostly ambience. There was a chemical look to the store. Metal tables were thrown on their side and boxes of surgical equipment were strewn about the floor. Plastic tubes hung from dismantled metal shelving that barely stood erect. There was a room in the far back that wasn't touched.

His dress shoes shattered more glass shards as he turned the knob to the back office. Nothing was amiss here. The filing cabinet was in place. The safe was unopened. Save the large blood splatter that adorned the wall above the smashed computer monitor. Ryu's blood, he surmised. He turned away out of respect for a brief moment. He hadn't known Ryu well, but he knew of him and he knew that dying at the hands of a vampire was a predicable way for a hunter to go, but it still wounded the pride to bested by a fanged-beast.

He kneeled down just outside the door, picking up a small leather bracelet. At the end of the band were a tiny charm, one that resembled the five-stared pentagram, similar but not the same. He shook his head at the meaning. This would have been Takeshi's band. All second year trainees wore them out in the field. It was a "good luck" charm of sorts, but it also held magic in it to protect them from mythical creatures if they were ever in a desperate situation. All hunters could wear them, he supposed. But it was weaker to carry around constant protection, so they reserved them for the hunters in training, just in case they got into a situation they couldn't escape.

But someone knew Takeshi wore it. And they removed it before taking him.

His neck twisted to the side as the hairs on his neck tingled and stood up. _Vampire _crawled over his skin like electric currents consuming his nerves. They were Noble bred vampires, giving off a much stronger sensation than their lower brethren.

"Kiryu Zero," a man called out. "Just the hunter we were looking for."

His eyes snapped to the front of the store. Standing in each empty window panel was a vampire—five of them to be exact. And all five of them were Nobles. Just perfect. He could handle five E's by himself, piece of cake. But five higher, more power-charged vampires? He should have stayed at dinner with Kaname.

"You must be the vampire scum that abducted my teammate," he responded. The threat in his voice wasn't audible, but he was sure the fiery look in his eyes told them just how pissed off he was. "The Elite's trying to move up and claim a name for themselves by adding kidnapping."

The one in the middle, the tall one, spoke in a low, teasing tone. "You have no idea just what types of things we can add to that list besides kidnapping, little hunter."

He seemed to be their leader, Zero assessed. He had short, sandy brown hair that was messily cropped around his tanned face. His mouth was thin and was tight in a grin that was adorned with a goatee that matched his untidy brown tresses. He was large. Bulky large. The kind of man who took pride in lifting at the gym, and his overly snug purple shirt showcased the muscles he wanted everyone to see. He was challenge number one.

Zero sized up the other four. The one to the right of Muscles was a thinner, more toned vampire. Small in size, much smaller than the body builder he stood next to. He had black hair that fell over his eyes, so he couldn't see exactly what his face looked like beyond the raven locks that hid his expression. And beside him was a blond haired, regular lackey, and to the left of Gym Flex were two blond vampires – again, normal, standard hired muscle. The two in the center were higher in rank, but they weren't the brains. He could tell by the way they stared at him with intent. They were sizing him up, not calculating a plan. They were given a mission, following one, not creating one.

"I'm flattered that there are five of you to come greet me. I should feel honored your boss felt it necessary to send so many Noble bloods to kill one hunter." He gave Muscles an overly fake flirtatious grin. "But I won't make this easy on you guys."

Muscles answered again. "Oh, we count on this being a challenge. You wouldn't live up to your name as the infamous Kiryu vampire hunter if you went down so easily."

"Aw, shucks. You know your way straight to my heart." He slipped his left hand behind his back, his fingers rubbing against the cold steel of Bloody Rose. His eyes never left the vampires.

The moment was tense. The air was filled with the strangling ambience of an upcoming battle. Everyone watching, waiting, guarded of who would make the first move.

Zero could hear their hearts beating. Not of single one of them had an elevated pulse. They were calm. They were a lot better at this than they had given them credit. They were trained, which meant this wasn't going to be a shoot, die and then go home battle.

The black haired one, the little one with the mysterious face was the first to move. He slid a katana free and jumped toward the green, flickering florescent light. What Zero thought was an attack was a maneuver to cut the vision from the playing field. The little noble smashed the bulb into hundreds of white shards that rained down onto the floor. There was still three working overhead lights left, but they were all in the back of the store. The front was dark, except for the occasion green flicker that showed a moving Elite coming toward him.

Black, then flash, and then black, and then flash. It was like a strobe like as they descended down on him.

Muscles vanished as the green light returned to showcase their approach. Zero felt him too late. A hard body smashed into his, knocking him forward until his hands slid through the shattered glass on the concrete floor. His blood hit the air in an instant. The swift one, the little guy, appeared in front of him with bright red eyes, like some demon. He whipped Bloody Rose from his waistband and quickly got off two shots before another blow came from his left.

He was too outnumbered. He knew it with a grave realization. He'd be lucky to take down four of them before falling. And he knew it'd be that last one that got him.

He sensed the attack this time, rolling to his side and firing off a round. The room was drenched in darkness as the lights flickered out. The orange glow of his gun lit up the area in front of him, and the groan let him know he hit his target. One of the blond vampires clutched his side and then blew into thousands of ash particles. The lights were back on again, and he saw three of the four in front of him. He used his wit and flipped back, over the little black haired vampire before the Noble could strike, and he shot off another round. He missed the black haired one, who seemed to vanish like wind, and instead he hit the other blond vampire. Only one more blond, then Muscles and Ninja-kid were left.

A strong grip strained the cords of his neck muscles as a crushing grip came from behind. He hadn't even blinked, yet Muscles was behind him. His hand was around his throat in a death-tight lock. His airwaves were cut and he found his body struggled like a frantic puppet on strings as he was suspended off the ground.

"Satoshi," the little black haired one called out, "Katz wants him alive."

Oh, that was a relief. He was all of a sudden given the upper hand. He knew they didn't want him dead. And Muscles had a name now, which meant they could start their BFF hair braiding sessions next weekend. He used a low move, but it was an effective one, and he swung his leg back with all his strength and slammed his dress shoe into Satoshi's balls. The big guy fell hard, but more importantly so did his grip around his throat.

Bloody Rose was knocked out of his hand from the impact. But he quickly regained his stride and grabbed the closest thing to him, which happened to be a really sharp scalpel, which was lying in a pile of discarded medical equipment. He used the adrenaline in his body to push up, quick, and he lunged for the ninja-kid, but instead he was met with air as the vampire seemingly disappeared into thin air again. Nobles and their damn powers, he thought.

He was moving on pure adrenaline, so he recovered from the vanishing act with ease, moving on his heels to pivot around and slice a lovely gash across the last blond vampire's throat. Blood poured from the wound like a fountain. There was no healing from that. He had sliced through tendon and muscle. The blond vampire gagged as he tried to rebound from the attack, before the artery bled him dry in seconds, and then an ash cloud _poofed _into existence.

His fingers trembled around the medical blade. He felt blood trickle down his cheek from his fall earlier. He must have scraped it on some loose glass.

"You haven't disappointed us, Kiryu-sama," Satoshi spoke. "But I'm afraid we are on a time limit and you're significant other will come searching if we eat up too much time fighting." Muscles—_Satoshi_—snapped his fingers at the ninja-kid, who vanished like some freakin' creature from X-Men.

He felt the cold air brush his neck before the blow came, so it wasn't unexpected. The kid was too fast. He was fast, but this vampire disappeared whenever he wanted to. He didn't give up, but he knew he had lost. The coming darkness was expected as the kid's fist collided with the back of his skull. He heard a snap as he was forced onto his knees.

His blurry vision picked up on the silver sparkled next to his face, within inches from his eyes. The necklace he intended to give Kaname was within reach, but he was so damned tired. Spots started to sprout over his eyesight like black clouds. He didn't even have a final thought before everything was shrouded in complete darkness.

OOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooO OOOOOOOOO

He would try to call just once.

He placed his phone on his desk and spun it around. He caught the phone mid-circle and swiped open the lock screen with his finger. He was quick to find Zero's name. His finger hovered over the glass screen.

He let out a long sigh. Press. Push. Ring.

And ring.

And ring.

He rapped his fingers against the wood as he idled his head in his hand. The phone was on speaker when it clicked and Zero's voicemail started.

Once more.

His bottom lip silently thanked him when he released it from its toothy prison.

Voicemail again.

He remembered Zero's phone had been on silent at the restaurant. Could be as simple as the hunter not flicking the damn device on ring. He usually wasn't the jittery type when it came to Zero's missions, but something felt horribly wrong. There was a darkness bubbling in his blood that whispered grim words in a cold, terrifying tone. Something felt amiss.

He felt a headache form between his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled a shaky breath.

Something was wrong. He had that feeling in the core of his being that just chilled his insides when he thought of Zero's well being. He was trying hard to not fall into the overbearing, smothering spouse stereotype. _Trying_ to. And failing miserably.

Zero could get over it later if he was wrong. He had to know, so he called his driver to be at the door in less than five minutes. He slipped into his long black trench coat and pocketed his phone in case Zero called. The driver was there as planned and he slid into the backseat. He didn't speak more than necessary and tried to keep his thoughts from digging into the sinister thoughts hovering on the brink of his sanity.

Over the past year he had gotten to know Zero on a deeper, more emotional level, not a purely physical, intimate one. There were several things that irritated the hell out of him, but then there just as many, if not more, things about the hunter that he had grown to love. Like how the hunter's OCD tendencies played into his daily activities: putting his toothbrush at just the right angle, facing the mirror (never away), or how he had to drink water in sips of threes. He knew more of his lover's fears and was often there to hold him when he woke up from nightmares so bad they caused the hunter to gasp and tremble. Both their tortured pasts seemed to be the perfect temporary therapists they needed to help each other move forward.

And then there were the secrets he still kept from the hunter. Dark things he dared not repeat, yet the guilt ate at him to the point he felt compelled to nearly blurt out everything whenever he was near. Only Zero could cause him to falter like that. But only Zero claimed the depths of his soul and heart.

The driver slowed to a stop in front of a battered medical supply shop. The lights on the inside flickered sporadically like a cheap strobe like at a rave. The glass was gone from the floor to ceiling panels. That much he could see from the car. The frosty air plowed by with a bitter sting. Through his wind-blown hair, he saw the all the yellow "Do Not Enter" tape had been ripped off.

He didn't see Zero from where he stood, but he smelled him. More specifically, he smelled Zero's blood. And there were other scents, coppery iron that mixed with his lover's that told him of the fight that had occurred.

Zero wasn't dead. He would have felt that through the blood inside the hunter, which was his own, and through the Union. No, Zero was alive.

He stepped over what he assumed would have been the door and his feet landed in a field of shattered glass.

Ten feet further into the store and he found a bloodied scalpel. He sniffed the blade at the end. The blood was Noble. Class B, to be precise. But it wasn't a bloodline he had scented in his years.

There were also drops of scarlet littered across the floor and the glass near the metal-shelving units. He didn't need to smell the blood to know it was Zero's. He knew the aroma of the hunter's blood like his own.

Another few steps forward revealed the biggest clue. Silver flashed beneath the on and off again lighting. He kneeled down, his weight crunching the shattered glass deeper into the concrete floor, and picked up Bloody Rose.

"Zero…" he whispered to the gun, as if the weapon could reveal to him what had happened to his lover.

His eyes fell closed and he inhaled a deep breath. His body trembled. His normal mask slipped in his seclusion. Fear, black and cold, slithered down his spine and pooled in the pit of his stomach. His veins pumped his body full of the icy terror, because he knew there was only one plausible outcome from all the evidence present.

Just as he was about to stand, the flickering metal of something else beneath the strobe-like lamps caught his gaze. He brushed a few broken shards off what looked like a necklace.

The dread inside him froze his heart when he lifted the object to his eye line. A small Celtic pendant hung on a leather cord, spinning freely around as it dangled from his hand. The fluorescent beams picked up on a sharp gleam on part of the metal. He couldn't suppress the soft smile that tugged at this mouth. On the side of the pendant were the letters "K" and "Z".

He shook his head with a quiet chuckle, but more in agony than humor. His pulse thumped faster beneath his skin and his fear morphed into rage.

The teetering metal shelf snapped with a loud crack under his anger and crumbled to the concrete, cluttering the floor with more medical supply carcasses.

He pocketed the necklace, his hand tight around the pendant. He finally let go to replace the item with his phone, which he immediately withdrew and put to his ear as it rang.

He waited for the person he dialed to pick up, and before the person on the other end even had time to say hello, he shot off with a clipped, terse opening, "You said there were four hunters missing so far, right?"

Yagari replied with a curt yes, and if the pureblood's tone wasn't a giveaway to the grave situation, his next words were:

"Make that five." And he ended the call.

OOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooO OOOOOOOOO

Oh snap... Angst and drama in chapter one. I have this whole mapped out and a lot of it is written in pieces, so expect the usual from me and know that there were will be twists, angst and lots more drama. :D It wouldn't be a story from me without all of that, right? LOL

Stellar-TheFanGirl – the child is Takeshi, who is the hunter kid taken in this chapter. Kaname and Zero don't have any kids and this story isn't mpreg, so nope. Just another character. :D Hopefully that clears that up for you.

To anyone concerned about Katz: Dude is straight up straight and has no intentions of being a third wheel or doing anything nasty to Zero. He's just a straight-up narcissistic antagonist who feels it's his place to pure the world of it's weaknesses.

To everyone who asked me about Blackened Wing: no she hasn't left the fandom and as far as I am aware (as she told me a couple weeks ago) she's still working on the last chapter and hasn't given up. She's got a lot going on, but I'll pass along the lovely words some of you said or go ahead and message her yourself and tell her. I am sure she would appreciate that. :D


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